Muséum de Nantes

About the museum

The museum was founded in 1799, when François-René Dubuisson opened a natural history cabinet on Rue Caylus. It was inaugurated in 1810 in the former surgery school of Nantes, of which Dubuisson was the first curator. In the 19th century, the collections grew through bequests and field research, notably through Frédéric Cailliaud and the bequest of Baron Bertrand-Geslin in 1863.

The present building, designed by the architect Gustave Bourgerel, was inaugurated in 1875 beside the former Hôtel de la Monnaie. It features a large two-storey hall and a sculpted pediment, with an interior inspired by the great English museums. Under the direction of the ornithologist Louis-Marcellin Bureau from 1882, the museum went through a period of strong scientific growth.

After the Second World War, Jacqueline Baudouin-Bodin, the first woman to run a museum in France, modernised the galleries and introduced a vivarium. The enlarged museum reopened in 1980, and the zoology and earth sciences galleries were renovated in 2008–2009.

The collections cover zoology, earth and space sciences, botany, ethnology and an ancient collection. The museum has been closed to the public since November 2025 for a transformation project of around €46 million, which is intended to increase the public spaces and improve accessibility; reopening is planned for 2029.

Highlights

• Zoology collections: mammals, birds, fish, insects and molluscs
• Great auk, an extinct species preserved in the collections
• Meteorites, palaeobotany and herbaria
• 1875 building with a large two-storey hall
• Off-site programme during the closure

Founded

1799

Operated by

Nantes Métropole

Visitors per year

approx. 170,000 (2024)

Admission & discounts

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: no information
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The museum’s website has dedicated pages in French Sign Language, for blind and visually impaired people, and in Easy Read; an accessibility statement is available online.

Kids & families

During the closure, off-site exhibitions and activities are offered in several municipalities across the metropolitan area.

Getting there & parking

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit